Bike navigation with an Android phone

[mariposa]

Hi,

Just got me an Android phone (Samsung Fascinate) and want to tap into your wisdom here:

I do a lot of biking in unfamiliar places. I'd love to be able to:

a) Look on a bike-route mapping program I like (such as google maps), map out the route I want to take, then somehow download that onto my phone. Then have my phone give turn-by-turn directions. Maybe even by voice!

b) When I have NOT pre-programmed a route, and want quick info on how to bike to a particular destination: I'd like to be able to do a GPS fix on my current location, enter my destination, and get voice turn-by-turn directions based on a good bike route.

Bing is what comes stock on the Fascinate but I understand I can download a google maps app. Is there something even better than google maps?

c) Find some fixes for the inevitable fact that the GPS and/or 3G will run down the battery fast. Can I turn off the GPS for a while, then turn it back on when I know I need directions, and still be able to find where I am along my preprogrammed route? Should I buy an extra stock battery and carry it with me?

Not sure I'm interested in mapmyride.com, if it only tracks where I've been. I want a program that will tell me where to go in the first place.

What else am I not thinking of?

Thank you!

- Mariposa

[OakLeaf]

Doesn't Google navigation come standard on all Android phones? It did on my HTC phone. There's a built-in option for bike routes. There's always the caveat that Google bike routes aren't necessarily the routes that locals would take, but IME they've been reasonably good. You get the same routing on the phone that you would if you selected the bike navigation on Google maps on your computer.

I'm not aware of an app that lets you navigate a pre-determined route, but I'll be interested if someone else knows of one. Garmin has an Android app that may let you do that, but it's expensive, and I have Garmin hardware anyway, so I haven't even investigated it.

Battery life with GPS running on my phone is right at 5 hours. Probably a good idea to have a spare battery along. Be sure to get one with a charging cradle so you can charge the battery in your phone and the spare at the same time. You can definitely turn GPS on and off - I put a widget on my screen for just that purpose - but it can take some time to re-acquire the signal.

[Dogmama]

Doesn't Google navigation come standard on all Android phones? It did on my HTC phone.

It was standard on my Bionic too. It does give turn by turn directions but I didn't know about the bike route app. I'll have to check that out!

I like Google navigation. So far, it's been spot on for me. I used it a lot in San Fran to get around. It even told me what bus lines to take, when they arrived, when to transfer, etc. Really nice for folks like me who get lost in a public bathroom stall.

Did you get an extended battery? That might help your battery life. As Oak said, you can also turn the navigation on & off - although that kinds defeats the idea of turn-by-turn instructions. But maybe if you see it on a map you wouldn't need it.